Lines
by OretaTsubasaDe
Summary: [Oneshot] The line between friendship and romance was always clear. When a redhead comes in, that line becomes impossible to find. [RayMariah][slight RaySalima and KaiMariah]


_Disclaimer:_ I own nothing Beyblade-related.

_Warnings:_ There's fluff, length, second person POV, swearing, Mary-Sue-ish (if you wanna interpret it that way).

_Recommended Song(s):_ Everything I'm Not by The Veronicas, Make You Love Me by Kaci Brown, More Than Love by Sweetbox and maybe Perfectly by Huckapoo if you feel like it. (My World by SR-71 can also work, but that situation isn't really in this)

* * *

You didn't understand why people always told you that friendship and romance were interlinked. You always believed that there were meant to be two types of relationships with people you didn't have familial ties to; friendly relationships and romantic ones.

Friendly relationships were purely platonic; no sexual tension whatsoever. You could confide in them whenever you needed to, you could tell them something you weren't comfortable telling anyone else, and you could trust them to come back to you after the two of you argued to the point where you felt hollow and desolate without them.

Romantic relationships were quite the opposite; they contained tension, fear or rejection, fear of embarrassment and complete satisfaction upon obtaining it. It had drama and sometimes self-denial – on the rare occasion, complete trust was there. As distrusting as it could get, everyone wanted this with a certain person.

Everyone knew the difference, didn't they?

You seemed to be only one who did. Every time you heard Tyson and Hilary, you always thought "two great friends" until the two admitted to their love-hate relationship. Like all relationships, there was some distrust; Tyson had been accusing Hilary of seeing Kai or still being unable to deny feelings for him. To say you found that unexpected was quite the understatement. You knew that Hilary had some feelings for Kai. You just weren't sure if Tyson was going to anything about it.

You hated that their friendship turned romantic. You were still believing that romance and friendship weren't the same and they _weren't_ connected. For a while, you were in the clear, until Max and Mariam also admitted to a love-hate relationship. You thought they were friends. They told the world they were friends. But they also turned romantic.

The world was against you. You were sure of that.

_"Do you believe in love at first sight?" you asked your brother._

_He gave you an odd look and lifted a thick brow. "Not at all."_

_You were shocked. "Why not?"_

_"Because friendship must come before romance. With love at first sight, one can fall in love for simply looks and beauty, but completely miss the beauty inside. When friendship comes first, one can see the beauty inside and out."_

_Speechlessness was not a thing you were fond of. Yet, here you are, speechless. All you can do is stare at your brother and let his words sink into you. _

_And those words were some that demanded to be drowned into your mind._

_Engraved, even. _

You had watched one-by-one; the rest of your "gal pals" had had their friendships with someone turn romantic.

Ming-Ming had gone with Daichi, seemingly have built up a "friendship-hiding-a-crush" since their battle together. You knew something was wrong when Daichi, though he claimed to be able to defeat Tyson, just accepted that a girl (a girly pop star, no less) had defeated him. You knew something was wrong when he didn't lash out like he usually would when losing to Tyson.

Mathilda had turned to Raul. She used to have a crush on Miguel, you noticed, and she confided in Raul almost frequently. You began to notice Mathilda turning to Raul as months went by. Raul was, at a lack of a better word, confused. But he gradually accepted it and reciprocated.

Emily's crush on Max faded out when she remembered her strong friendship with Kenny. Although you wondered if Max getting with Mariam contributed to this, nonetheless, Emily's friendship with Kenny grew until you didn't think they could ever be friends again. You knew they would never turn back to that.

Julia had never been close to you. You still found yourself proud when she had gained the respect of Tala. You knew Tala before Julia did; you knew Tala had very little respect for anyone. The only people he had a smidge of respect for were Kai, Tyson, Bryan and Spencer. None of them were female, however. So it surprised you when Julia had done it. It was probably for the wrong reasons, or simply no reasons. Their friendship also turned romantic after a very long while. It took so long; you thought it wouldn't happen at all.

Where did that leave you?

Perhaps you should act on your childhood crush before it was too late.

_So here you were, standing behind him while he plays that spinning top game you've given up. He hasn't grown out of it like you did, however. _

_"Ray?" the shyness in your voice couldn't help but shine through._

_Still, he turns towards you and you were penetrated by the golden orbs. They threatened you break you apart. Thought by thought. "Yeah?" _

_"I, uh…" You were losing your courage. How extremely unlike you._

_"Ray!" a bright voice yelled up happily. It was such a melodic voice; it put even the greatest singers to shame._

_The two of you turned and saw a girl running up. It would but a lie to say that it was just an ordinary, average girl. __She was stunning, to put it short._

_Her __hair was such a magnificent shade of red that the reddest roses would've hid in shame if they saw her. Her eyes held so much that there wasn't a precise color for them, yet they were still marvelously astonishing. They would make even the moon blush in shame if it could. _

_Yet you knew nothing of this beautiful girl._

_"Salima!" Ray exclaims, opening his arms as if expecting a hug. _

_She did hug him. When they pulled back, Salima was giving you a look. "Oh, I'm sorry, did I interrupt something?"_

_This girl was pretty much as perfect as they come. She was nice, innocent, beautiful and caring. You stare at her. "No…not at all."_

Salima was wonderful, you could not deny that. She was nice and made you feel like nothing in the world could go wrong.

As much as you wanted to and as much as you tried, you could not hate her. You couldn't even bring yourself up to think the thought of hating Salima without your mind telling you that it was wrong. Innocent, wonderful Salima didn't deserve it. She did nothing wrong. It wasn't her fault she was the way she was. She couldn't help being so _perfectly_ wonderful.

Still, Ray chose her over you, time and time again.

You always noticed Ray out on the bridge. He simply stood there, staring off into the horizon. It became a habit for him. Everyday he went there, and everyday you found yourself being there too, just watching him. You wondered why he never took Salima with him.

The only thing you couldn't help disliking was the fact that she was so damn _perfect_ and nobody could measure up to her. You weren't perfect; you had flaws just like everyone else. Yet you still felt inferior to her.

_Ray wasn't at the bridge this time. So you decided to see what was so breathtaking that Ray spent most of his time on it. The view was amazing. The way violet turned into cerulean, then cerulean to light jade, jade to yellow, yellow to orange, orange to red, then red to crimson. It was awe-inspiring. The colors all faded into each other, not forced together like you thought it would be._

_A soft breeze pressed past you and blew your pink hair out of place. It was irritating how you never had a brush when this happened._

_"Fancy meeting you here," an easily recognizable voice uttered from behind you, "__and what, may I ask, are you doing __here?"_

_You could feel your heart thundering up against your insides. Thoughts raced all around your head and you couldn't keep up with them. If you did catch some, they were incoherent words that make absolutely no sense whatsoever._

_There was no denying that it was your sought-after Ray Kon; there he stood in his glory with his hands clasped behind him, wearing the white fine robes he's always worn, except they__ were fashioned much like Syaoran Li. _

_His eyebrow is arched, awaiting your response._

_You could have said anything you wanted. You could have run away if you wanted to, but you didn't. Something just kept your feet glued to the ground, __"I, um, just needed some air, I suppose," you answered slowly, stuttering slightly. _

_He smiled at you. "I understand that; I do that all the time. And besides, this place seems perfect to get some air."_

_You nodded shyly, "I've noticed you here before…."_

_A dark brow rose, drawing a thin curved line above his golden eye, "Really?"_

_You couldn't understand what possessed you to say that. You practically just admitted to spying and watching him. "Well, I didn't mean to impose on you or anything!" a random outburst. You're becoming less and less like you every day._

_Regardless, he still managed to smile. "Of course not. I'm…really sorry I didn't notice you here before. I just didn't see you."_

"I just didn't see you."

You hated those words. They began to echo through your mind until it went numb. Ray? Not see you? That was impossible…

…wasn't it?

You saw Ray everywhere; at least that's what you've been telling yourself. He was in the sky, the water, and everywhere you stared off into space.

His presence was becoming undeniable. He was everything to you. He was your everything.

_"Like you're so perfect; I'm not perfect…"_

_"Mariah? I hope you don't mind my hearing that," Salima walked up from behind you, placing a hand on your shoulder._

_Here was the girl you were losing everything to. She was driving you apart from it. You still couldn't hate her like you thought you could. All she wanted to do was help you, befriend you. It wasn't like she planned to have Ray fall for her, or to be so damn perfect. _

_"Nah, it's all right." You assured with a wave of your hand. _

_She gave you one of the smiles that would immobilize a male if they saw it. It could put them under her charm in under two seconds. You envied her ability to wrap anyone around her finger when she wanted to._

_"So who's Miss Perfect that you're upset about?" she asked with such an innocent tone in her voice, she could get away with murder with it. _

_You could lie. You would feel bad telling her that she's the cause of your agony when she did nothing intentionally wrong, wouldn't you? _

_"How do you know it's a girl?" You countered, saving yourself for that moment._

_She shrugged carelessly, nonetheless, it was still as graceful as a shrug could get. "I'm just assuming. People are usually envious of people the same gender," she sighed, "unless it involved a competition of some sort." Her unidentifiable eyes flickered at you, "Like sports!" she smiled happily, using that same innocent tone. _

_"Yah, I guess." _

_It didn't end at that. "So who is she?" You almost anticipated that she wouldn't let you off the hook so easily. "I don't think you know her."_

You couldn't tell her the truth.

Of course, Salima didn't mind that you lied. By the look on her face, you could tell she knew you were lying, but she accepted it anyways.

On the other hand, your incidents with Ray became more and more common. You never had to hear him say "I just didn't see you," ever again.

He saw you.

You liked it.

Or perhaps you were forcing him to see you? You couldn't pinpoint what you were trying to do, but all you knew was that you got him to see you. That's all that matters, isn't it?

Because all you wanted was to be with him. You weren't dating, but you considered it dating. He thought you were just friends. That's all you know he saw you as. You never gave him any indication that you wanted to be more, nor did he. But if you did give him indications, he wouldn't have noticed anyways.

Is that what Hilary and the other girls meant? Is this what friendship-turning-into-romance was all about?

_"He's not here?"_

_"Hn. What did I _just_ tell you?" his emotionless eyes bore into you. You couldn't stand it as it was like a single spotlight shining at you although you were in complete darkness. He lifted a brow, daring you to argue with him. The look told you that there were dire consequences if you did argue._

_You've told yourself that you were stronger than him. You almost backed down, considering what he could do to you. Yet you managed to remember that he wouldn't hit a girl, especially not one like you. "I believe you said 'hn', right?"__ you completely ignored the threat his glare implied. _

_"Do you think you're funny?" his words suddenly got dipped in venom and were being blasted at you. Despite that, you smiled._

_"I think you are," you replied carelessly. His face hardened into an ice-melting stare. You were laughing at him deep inside, and he knew it. "But then again, Kai-ey-boy, looks aren't everything."_

_His hardened expression turned into a smirk. Soon enough, he started laughing, almost evilly. Kai laughing was never good, so your insides stopped laughing at him and gave him an inquisitive look. "You think you can gain a confidence boost by poorly attempting to destroy my pride?" he asked you mockingly, "Sorry, pinky-girl, it's going to take more than an appearance-bashing to even _scratch_ my pride."_

_You could have cried right there. You had enough reason and motivation to cry. But what would that prove? It's Kai. It's not like he's going to embrace you in his arms and tell you that he was just joking just because you're crying at something his said. After all, you brought this on yourself when you thought you could outwit him. "Who said anything about destroying your pride?"_

_Kai looked ready to laugh at you again. "Are you kidding? It's written all over your face." He __mused, "You're having an inferiority complex with Salima. She could steal Ray away from you anytime she wants, that's what you're afraid of, isn't it? And now you think you can get your confidence back by knocking me over. Sorry to burst your bubble, princess…."_

_Princess? _

_Were you really that predictable? So obvious that Kai could read your expression and see through your plan just like that?_

_"I bet even Tyson could see through that doomed-to-fail plan…." Kai added, verbally spitting at you. _

_"Your point being?"_

_"You're serious? After a bashing like that, that's all you can say?"_

_You nodded. He scoffed. You glared. He eye-rolled. You growled. He laughed._

_"You're wasting my time." He said with all the shame in the world in his voice, all directed at you. "And if I were you, I'd just tell Ray everything instead of waiting around like a little pansy…." With a dramatic turn of his back, his white scarf followed him out until he got back into the building._

_"At least I'm not a drama queen!" you yelled back, in all desperation._

_Kai turned back to look at you, then smirked again. "Pathetic…."_

He was right, you found. You could even consider him a friend, if you were really that desperate or willing to get yourself hurt. You still considered what Kai told you. If you honestly told Ray how you felt, then you'd be giving up everything you believed in. Ray was your friend, yet you wanted to have a romantic relationship with him. You were much the hypocrite.

_"Hey Salima."_

_"Ray, what did you want?"_

_"I'm pretty sure I like you. Like really like you."_

_"I really like you too; you're a totally great friend." _

_"Ugh, no, I didn't mean it that way…."_

_"Huh? What do you mean?"_

_"…"_

_You could only assume happened after that. You still couldn't help but note how innocent Salima was. It was like she had no clue that Ray was mentally all over her. Strangely, you still didn't hate her. _

The scene bled out to you like a freshly cut wound one would get if they fell and slid hard enough into the ground. It just flowed out.

And you did what anyone would do in that situation; you blocked it out.

_"Are you fucking kidding?"_

_"And here I thought you were smart," you reply, daring him to retort, "you should be able to figure out if I'm kidding or not."_

_"Cute, but you're as weak as you were before." _

_"Just because I didn't tell him?"_

_"Uh, no, because you're part cat," he rolled his eyes, "Yeah, because you didn't tell him you fucking idiot!"_

_"Gods, no need to get touchy."_

_"It's a damn good reason to get touchy. And why the fuck are you telling me all this shit anyways?"_

_When Kai swore, you knew it was bad. Usually, he got his point across with the venomous tone of his voice and the icy glares he gave people. Swearing was his last resort. You had endured his tone of voice and glares, to which Kai offered you a cookie or a medal for doing so. Swearing was all he could do, and you were enduring that with brimming confidence too. _

_"Because, Mr. Innocent Mouth, I think you're a really good friend."_

_"Did I give you any indication that we were friends?"_

_"No, but…"_

_"But what?"_

_"You're Ray's friend and that means you're my friend too!"_

_"You're not serious, are you?"_

_"Like hell I'm not."_

You sigh. You watch as the sky began lighting up with its colors again. The violet was starting to take over the blue. Then the jade. Soon enough, the yellow. After that, it ate up the orange.

"Mariah?"

A breathless gasp escapes you as you whirl around to find Ray giving you a look. "How's Salima?" you ask casually.

"Good," he replies uneasily.

You nod, "That's good to hear."

After a long moment of silence, Ray speaks up. "How stupid do you think I am?"

You subconsciously bite unto your bottom lip, "On a scale of one to ten?"

"I know you asked me to come here for a better reason than to ask how Salima was." He points out bluntly.

Who's heart was supposed to be breaking here?

"Ray," you plead, "I'm ashamed of myself for not telling you before, because it went against everything I believed in…" you force yourself to look up and see Ray giving you a hard look to continue. "I couldn't help but fall in love with you, Ray, and I'm really sorry."

His expression softens and you notice your words drowning into Ray's mind, much like Lee's words had drowned into you before. You're willing to wait a long time, as long as you get a response.

"Mariah, I'm going to tell someone some bad news. They might not take it very lightly, but they'll have to move on…." Ray finally says.

You stare at him for a long time.

_"I couldn't help but fall in love with you, Ray, and I'm really sorry."_

The words echoed in even your mind.

_"Because friendship must come before romance. With love at first sight, one can fall in love for simply looks and beauty, but completely miss the beauty inside. When friendship comes first, one can see the beauty inside and out."_

And he kissed you.

* * *

**A/N: **Eww, that was long. It's really weird and probably OOC.

I pretty much based Salima's personality on Xiao Qiao (the whole innocence thing) and Starfire (naivety); her whole outlook and appearance was pretty much based on Da Qiao (the whole amazing aspect) and Diao Chan (gracefullness), Kai was based on Cao Pi and Shinji (both possess cold-heartedness and apathetic nature), but he'd probably be like that anyways, right?

Queen isn't in this because, well, Mariah doesn't really know her and I couldn't think of a love interest for Queen. Mariam's in there because their teams are eerily similar.

This is probably really bad, but whatever. Eh, R & R, criticize me or whatever...


End file.
